He suddenly appeared there, Winlife floats, surrounded by golden light. He is thrown into an unreal place, suspended above the void. Before him: gigantic thrones carved from living crystal. Three Gods await him: Mornak, God of Eternal Judgment.
Mornak (resonant, icy voice):
Human... who was once a hero, listen to the divine word. You have broken a sacred seal. Damaged the very fabric of this world. How do you plead?
Winlife (dark gaze, trembling but steady breath):
I plead guilty to wanting to live.
Tharnel, to his right (crosses his arms, calm but sharp voice):
You were not supposed to survive the Guardian nor eat Gargan the beast. Unfortunately, you did, and you awakened something within you.
Igrex, to the left (chuckles softly, his body oozing an acidic light):
He is not a chosen one. He is... an accident.
Aézora — Goddess of Dawn Tears:
Silence! Human... you seem not to grasp the magnitude of the situation. By eating Gargan the beast, you broke the seal of the Labyrinth of Judgment, a place where harmful creatures destined for repentance are imprisoned.
(pause)
You have inherited the power of nullification, or as it is called here, nullarus. You are neither mage, nor priest, nor chosen. And yet you can now block our laws.
Winlife (surprised):
I didn't ask for this... and I had no idea that this garga... thing was guarding some kind of labyrinth prison.
Mornak (somber):
It is never you. It is fate. Chaos. And chaos, Winlife, is punished by Divine Chastisement.
Mornak raises a hand. A light begins to condense—white, blinding. The ultimate sentence.
You are punished for your actions and you will be erased.
It is with these words that I raise my sess...
Winlife (screams):
WAIT! Is there a way for me to redeem myself! Let me fix my mistake! Let me understand what I have become!
Mornak (punishing gaze):
Your life will reward your mistakes.
A silence. Then, a whisper.
Distant, feminine voice (almost inaudible, but piercing echo):
He must not die... at least not yet.
The gods freeze.
Igrex (grinding):
That voice...
Mornak (gazing into the void):
Eslith...
Suddenly, a black mist coils in the divine sky. A silhouette slowly descends: robes of shadow, eyes of glass. It is she. The Goddess of Eternal Insomnia.
Eslith:
Let him live.
He carries the flaw. And... nightmares still await him.
Aézora:
Indeed, he is an anomaly, and sooner or later his sentence will be carried out, but I would also like to hear the opinion of the supreme god Zhaerion.
A long silence. Then Mornak lowers his hand.
Mornak:
So be it. You live. But you will be... marked.
From today, you will bear a mark that will drain your vital essence. And if you dare to tear off your arm...
He points to a cosmic Scale that barely wavers.
Mornak (displaying a cruel and cold look):
...You will be immediately reduced to ashes and your spirit will disappear with the wind that carries it away.
Suddenly a light collapses onto Winlife and the chains reappear, then he disappears...
Return to the Cell
Winlife brutally reappears in the cell. He falls, kneeling, breathless. The mark left by Mornak pulses softly on his skin, a discreet, almost living light. For a few seconds, only silence accompanies him... then a soft voice pierces the darkness.
She (calm voice, slightly trembling):
You... came back?
Winlife looks up. The girl is there, a few meters away. Her gaze is more serious than before, but still veiled by a strange neutrality. She seems both surprised... and relieved.
Winlife (gasping, grating tone):
Yes... Surprise. I'm... still alive. At least, I think so.
He sits down with difficulty against the wall, his head thrown back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. A long sigh escapes him. The girl approaches, slowly, then sits down at a distance, without a word.
Winlife (staring at her):
I saw gods. I saw...
(pause)
They spared me. But... I am now bound to this world.
He looks at his arms. A hazy, black spiral mark pulses faintly.
Winlife (softly):
It's official. I'm no longer just a survivor. I'm a damn ticking time bomb. Did you know they were going to judge me?... That they were going to take me there?
She (hesitant):
I've seen that circle appear before... Three times. None have returned.
(pause)
You are the first.
Winlife (side glance):
And now? Are you going to interrogate me too?
She (with a slight sad smile):
No. But... I suppose you deserve answers too.
She straightens up a bit, crosses her legs, then her gaze changes slightly, more frank, more human. Her voice also becomes softer, more natural.
She:
My name is Kaelis.
Winlife (tired laugh):
Finally a name. Mine is Winlife.
(pause)
And you can believe me, I'm tired of being called anomaly all day long.
Kaelis (slightly amused):
Then... Winlife. Welcome to the Ark of Exile.
Winlife (suspicious):
The Ark of Exile?
Kaelis (calm, looking into the darkness):
Yes, that's the name of this prison. It's a place outside the world... between two realities.
Those the Gods deem too unstable, too dangerous, or... unclassifiable are locked up here. We are the fragments that disturb their balance.
Winlife:
And you? How long have you been here?
Kaelis (smiles, sadly):
I don't count anymore. Maybe time doesn't even pass here.
(pause)
But I'm here because... I exist. And that's already a crime, for them.
Winlife:
And no one escapes?
Kaelis:
No one gets out. But sometimes... the Gods come looking for what they fear.
Silence.
Winlife reflects. Then he looks down at his mark, which pulses slowly.
Winlife:
So I've become one of those things they fear... Great.
Kaelis:
You are a flaw. A fracture in their order. And that... makes them nervous.
Winlife (dark, ironic look):
You talk like them sometimes... as if you weren't really human.
Kaelis (smiles without answering right away):
Where were you before coming here?
Winlife (freezes for a moment, then answers):
I was in the forest looking for my friends.
Kaelis (looks at him gently):
And now you are alone. Like everyone who ends up here.
Winlife (cold gaze):
You talk about solitude as if it were a normal state.
Kaelis (blurry gaze):
For me, it always has been.
A silence settles. Not heavy this time... just fragile. As if the two understood that there is a shared wound between them.
Kaelis (softly):
You know... this is the first time I've spoken freely to someone since I've been here. For a long time, actually.
Winlife (almost inaudible voice):
I must say I'm quite irresistible (smile).
She looks at her hands, then raises her head.
Kaelis:
You shouldn't trust me, Winlife. I'm not a... good person. I told you: I'm here because I exist.
Winlife (nods, lucid gaze):
And what do you think I'm here for? Because I ate a chicken? Seriously?
Kaelis (small, discreet laugh):
A sacred chicken.
Winlife:
Okay... it was a very, very big chicken.
(pause)
But you know what? Even if you weren't good, even if you were worse than the worst... you didn't try to kill me from the first minute. That's already more than this world has offered me so far.
Kaelis (stares at him, longer than usual):
You are not like the other humans I've met.
Winlife:
And you are not like the monsters I've seen.
They look at each other. No tension. Just two lost beings on the edge of the void, who recognize, without saying it, a spark in the other.
Kaelis (sighs):
Rest, Winlife. You're going to need it. This world... it's not done with you.
Winlife (leans against the wall, closes his eyes):
I don't doubt that for a second.